Distorted Mirror Image
by SolarRose29
Summary: Steve can't seem to stop himself from looking at his future and seeing only his past.
Okay, so I wanted to post something that wasn't Civil War related, since not everyone has seen the new movie yet. Although they should. Because it's totally awesome! And poor Steve needs a hug just about every other scene.

This is kinda short and based on the first Avengers movie. It's mostly just drabbles but I liked the parallelism between his old team and his new one.

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Steve can't help it when he looks around at his new world and sees his old one. His eyes are just too tired and frozen over with a layer of crystal ice to see anything else. It's a distorted, disfigured mirror image but it's there all the same.

Bruce Banner is another Erskine. Quiet, unassuming, and confident in the science they manipulate into miracles, they could have been twins. Even though Steve never did, and probably never will, understand half of the complicated words that come out of their mouths, he still respects them for their knowledge and steadfast conviction. They see things in the world that he didn't even know existed. He wonders if it's the glasses. The tiny pieces of circular glass that filter the world through lenses that reveal mysteries and whisper secrets.

Natasha Romanoff is his new Peggy. She's his best girl, with sharp eyes that hid a sharper mind. Heels don't hinder them from handling themselves in a world of men. There was red in Peggy's lips and there's red in Natasha's hair and Steve loves the color red and he loved Peggy and he thinks that maybe, just maybe, he might be starting to love Natasha too.

Clint Barton is Bucky's counterpart in this warped reality. A sense of humor drier than the desert, Clint mutters sarcastic comments under his breath, like Bucky did. And just like Bucky, Clint can make Steve smile when the burden of command drags Steve's heart down into the tips of his combat boots. They are both practical, down to earth men, who never put up with Steve's melancholy. It happens centuries apart, but a bar is a bar and a date is a date and both Clint and Bucky try to set him up on more than one occasion. Steve doesn't mind. It never works out, but it makes him smile that they tried.

Thor is most like Dum Dum Dugan. Although Thor doesn't have a brown felt bowler hat, he has the same booming voice and love of ale. Each man's large stature draws attention anytime they enter a room and they love to laugh. Laughter that's deep, belly-shaking and contagious. With a strong sense of enjoyment of food and an even deeper sense of loyalty to their fellow warriors, they are an excellent addition to any gathering, as there are sure to be magnificent stories told over plates piled high with food.

Nick Fury bears no physical resemblance to Col. Chester Philips but both men carry a sense of authority that leaves no room for questions. They are in charge and they expect complete and immediate obedience. Beneath their gruff exteriors however, they grudgingly admire men who can stand up to them and do what needs to be done, regardless of politics or consequences.

Tony Stark is the exact replica of his father, Howard. Both are incredibly intelligent and shrewd, with an ego bigger than the Empire State Building. It's hard to see past the biting sarcasm they love to employ in order to keep most people an arm's length away. Because beneath the arrogance and the flashiness, they are both lonely and wary of being emotionally hurt. It was a complicated relationship between Tony and Howard, which only makes things even more difficult for Tony and Steve, but Steve is determined not to let that stop him from befriending the billionaire.

Many things are different-technology, architecture, music, politics. In some ways, the world is unrecognizable to Steve and he has to find the familiar just to be able to hold onto his sanity. It might be selfish. It might be unfair. It might be wrong to place such a burden on his team. But sometimes necessity overpowers morals and Steve can't seem to stop himself from looking at his future and seeing only his past.


End file.
